Of course, there are those who won't see Eddie “Piolin” Sotelo's story as an American story. He was an undocumented immigrant who became a nationally syndicated radio celebrity, a guy who helped mobilize and give voice to the immigration reform movement.

For that matter, some people won't see his story as one of success but instead of a failure in the system. And there are a lot of Americans who haven't heard of him and won't see him at all because, up to now, his narrative hasn't been in English. (Remember the shrugs when Jenni Rivera died?)

Sotelo's show, “Piolin por La Mañana” was one of those loud wake-up shows with goofy sound effects, nutty callers and chit-chat sprinkled with colloquialisms and commentary.

Piolin is what Tweety Bird was called in Spanish, and por la mañana translates to “in the morning.” And, as with many other radio personalities, his style was often considered low-brow and abrasive.

But Piolin understood a Social Security card isn't a must for someone to listen to the radio. He understood that music bridges cultures faster than free English classes at the intimidating community center.

If you imagine that people who are ignored, or seen as a burden by everyone else, will rally behind the one who will work to communicate with them using the words and conversational mood they understand, you can figure out how Piolin made his mark.

He eventually became an advocate of the Latino immigrant. Television commercials promoting “Piolin por La Mañana” touted the phrase “Why did we come here? We came here to succeed,” although some spots poked fun at that phrase by pointing out that not everyone who came here works as hard as those set on success.

Still, he was representing — championing a cause and getting attention. Even the Obamas were guests on his show.

Then, last week, Sotelo's show was abruptly canceled by Univision. The Los Angeles Times reported that the cancellation came after Sotelo was accused of sexual harassment by Alberto Cortez, a writer, producer and performer on the show.

Cortez also accused Sotelo of ordering his production staff to falsify and pad a stack of letters presented to a congressional delegation when Sotelo went to Washington in 2007. The Times reported that Sotelo's attorney said the allegations were false and motivated by money.

Time will reveal more of this story. But that “Piolin en la Mañana” has gone silent speaks volumes. Many a bigwig has lost his or her perch because of bad choices. It's not uncommon in the United States.

But here's what really stings: The deeply divisive immigration debate is often missing input from one crucial voice, the voice of the immigrant. He could have helped those who came to the United States in the same scary way he described his own crossing to the L.A. Weekly in 2005.

He could have been a representative voice for the voiceless in this polarizing fight. As such, he could have helped make a difference in the U.S. story.